Oncoprotein immunoreactivity in human endocrine tumours

Article Abstract:

Oncogenes are genes that make proteins (oncoproteins) that have the potential for causing cancer. An oncogene may come from a normal gene that has been damaged by X-rays, ultraviolet light, certain toxic chemicals, or other source of genetic mutation. Many different types of human tumors have been found to contain oncogenes and their associated oncoproteins. In some cases, prognosis has been related to the presence of oncoproteins in certain types of tumors. The oncogene called c-erbB-2 has been identified in some breast tumors, as well as other tumors, but has not been identified previously in endocrine tumors (tumors in the adrenal gland, pancreas, thyroid gland and lung). To determine if oncogenes are present in endocrine tumors, a special staining procedure using antibodies (immunoreactivity) was undertaken to screen tumors for several different types of oncoproteins (c-erbB-2, c-myc, L-myc, and N-myc). Seventy-one lung tumors (44 small cell carcinomas, 15 atypical and 12 bronchial) 28 thyroid tumors (medullary thyroid carcinoma), 27 adrenal gland tumors (pheochromocytomas), and 17 pancreas tumors (insulinomas) were tested. Oncoproteins from the c-erbB-2 oncogene were found in 15 percent of the lung tumors and in 22 percent of the adrenal tumors. Oncoproteins from the c-myc oncogene were found only in the lung tumors (32 percent), N-myc in thyroid tumors (21 percent), and L-myc in adrenal tumors (15 percent). It is concluded that different types of oncoproteins may be associated with different types of tumors, and that this may be useful for identifying different subtypes of endocrine tumors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Identification and classification, Oncogenes, Endocrine gland tumors

---

In situ distribution of transforming growth factor alpha in normal human tissues and in malignant tumours of the ovary

Article Abstract:

Growth factors, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF), regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Many growth factors are proto-oncogene products (the products of genes with the potential for causing cancer). Uncontrolled cell growth and differentiation can result in the transformation of a normal cell into a malignant (cancerous) cell. Normal tissues and malignant ovarian tumors were screened for the presence of TGF using immunohistochemical staining (the use of specific antibodies to locate TGF) and northern blot analysis (a sensitive technique for the detection of TGF mRNA). Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of TGF in normal tissues including the uterus, intestine, lung, spleen, kidney, and skin. Twenty-nine ovarian tumors were screened for TGF using immunohistochemical staining and 12 were screened using northern blot analysis. TGF was found in 87 percent of the ovarian tumors using staining, while TGF mRNA was detected in 67 percent using northern blot analysis. Also, 13 out of 14 papillary carcinomas and three of four endometrioid carcinomas were TGF-positive. TGF staining was always confined to the cytoplasm of epithelial cells (nonvascular tissue forming the outermost layer of a gland or organ). It is concluded that TGF is present in most malignant epithelial tumors of the ovary, and that TGF-negative and TGF-positive carcinomas of the ovary may represent two different types of carcinoma. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Growth, Cellular control mechanisms, Cell regulation, Transforming growth factors

---

Histopathological grading of soft tissue tumours. Prognostic significance in a prospective study of 278 consecutive cases

Article Abstract:

Over a 10-year period, tumors that developed in the soft tissues, such as muscles, from 278 patients were graded and correlated with survival in the absence of metastasis (cancer spread to other sites). The grading was based on how fast the cells were dividing and other pathological features, such as how many cells were present, the extent of tissue death, change in structure of the cells and the type of tissues in the tumor. Twenty percent were low-grade, 16 percent were intermediate and 64 percent were high-grade tumors. Five-year survival with low-grade tumors was 95 percent; with intermediate-grade tumors, it was 86 percent; and for high-grade tumors, survival was 50 percent. Other factors influencing the prognosis were age, local recurrence at the primary site, and location of the tumor, i.e. whether it was deep in the body or near the surface. This grading system could be used to estimate the survival rate of patients with soft tissue tumors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Pathology, Cellular, Cytopathology

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Cerebral metastases as first symptom of bronchogenic carcinoma: a prospective study of 37 cases. The applications of imaging in lung cancer
• Abstracts: Helicobacter pylori. Histamine concentration of gastric mucosa in Helicobacter pylori positive and negative children
• Abstracts: Necrotizing myopathy in critically-ill patients. Catabolic effects of high-dose corticosteroids persist despite therapeutic benefit in rheumatoid arthritis
• Abstracts: A new technique of surgical treatment of chronic duodenal ulcer without laparotomy by videocoelioscopy
• Abstracts: Seroprevalence of HIV-2 infection in Greece (Crete). HIV serosurveillance among prostitutes and patients from a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in Delhi, India

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.